From Merrivale 19 October 1998

From Merrivale

 19 October

1998

Dear Alan, Lorna and girls,

I should really have Debbie’s kids here this morning being Saturday, but it is so miserable they haven’t come over, also I have seen them nearly every day this week as Debbie has had to go out quite a lot and I have had to babysit  - on Thursday night Lionel was working late and Debbie went out on a girls only night so we went over and stayed with the kids until Lionel came home – Debbie cam home after midnight, but didn’t enjoy herself at all so that is the last girls night she goes on.

It has been freezing cold here for the last three days the coldest days for October in living memory we have had 45 mm rain for which I am eternally grateful and the mountains are covered in snow and the old road between Mooiriver and Estcourt had to be closed because of the snow. They say it will start clearing from tomorrow.

I was carrying some sticks to put on the fire when one fell to the ground and wedged into a rock and stuck into my leg so dad had to take me to Greys Hospital and they said I was very lucky as it just missed severing a tendon and missed the bone, but I had to have stitches on the inside of my leg as well a son the outside so it was very sore for a couple of days but is now well on the mend  I have to go back on Wednesday to have the stiches taken out and I am on very strong anti-biotics again.

I have just made up my mind when you get your degree I am coming over to see you capped and gowned even if Dad won’t come, but I am sure that he will come we too, so I am going to start now to save for the great occasion.

petrol price went up at midnight last night now it costs R1.58c  a liter a hike of more than 32 cents a liter everyone is up in arms about it as now all the cost of living will go up too so now that means we won’t be able to go around so much, Neal has said that he will come and fetch us when we want to go down to him and then bring us back – he was saying that he got a very good assessment and in the new year should be made a grade 10 then will get a company car for free and also a certain amount of petrol free so that will be  a big help to them. Neal came up on Thursday for the day but he worked here on a machine for Lionel then Lionel gave him a oak side table for his trouble so Neal was thrilled as he hadn’t expected to get anything only wanted to help Lionel.

Dad has really been busy working on the house when I get the whip out – he is really very funny as every chance he gets he ducks next door to talk to Eric Jones and everytime I see him then I get so mad as he has so much here to do, but he seems unable to work on his own these days and needs someone to be with him to give him support so that is why Neal comes up so often to help out he really is such a super chap and loved by one and all. I am trying to get the swimming pool sorted out as once the cool weather is over I want to get the pool filled – we have changed the gate near the pump and I want Elliott to cement the bottom portion next week and I also want the garden planted this week as I  think we should go off to Jenny for 10 days what we will have to do now is to go to Jenny once in 2 months instead of every month and then we will stay for 10 days instead of only 5 we usually go on a Thursday when she is teaching in Winterton then I can look after the kids in the afternoon and have a meal cooked for her by the time she comes in at pm then we leave on a Wednesday morning before her bridge ladies arrive. Jenny has been busy writing exams this week and was quite happy about the one she wrote on Wednesday, but not so happy about a prac one she did last week so we shall have to see if she passes all this year then she only has 2 more years to do she really wants to pass as he is really feeling the pressure.

Sheila and Ronald came up last weekend to fetch their kids but it was also a miserable day Lionel cooked us all a lovely curry. Jenna didn’t want to go home as she and Fay get on so well together and wear one another’s clothes all the time and change all day long I felt sorry for Debbie with all the washing.

Les is always good to me when I am ill and comes over all the time to check up on me Dad never seems to think when I am indisposed as when I came home from hospital on Tuesday I said to him would he like something to eat after all I had been through I still cooked supper for him and I was no sooner done than Ronald phoned to say he had cooked for us, but by then it was too late.

I am hoping to get stuck into the sewing machine this morning this morning – I must first write to Uncle Coniie and tell him that we had been to see Aunty Violet and that she seem to be fit and well again.

Tons of love to you all from

Dad, Mum & family